Gezicht op werkzaamheden te Amsterdam, mogelijk in de De Clercqstraat c. 1906 - 1923

This sketch of a construction site in Amsterdam was made by George Hendrik Breitner, likely in charcoal or graphite. I can imagine him there with his pad, maybe a bit windswept. Look at those raw, energetic lines! He’s trying to grab something quickly, not tidying up for company. I wonder what he was thinking as he made it? The scene feels like a bunch of scattered thoughts, the chaos of building with all its heavy materials, but also kind of exhilarating. Painters often make preparatory sketches like this, but it stands alone, doesn’t it? It has a kind of truth, almost like automatic writing, because you can see the artist working through it. I like to imagine that all artists are having a never-ending conversation, across time and space. We’re all just trying to figure stuff out together.